Sri Balaji General Store

This store at 633 Vijaya Nagar has been part of my life for a long time. It’s a general store, so we carry a bit of everything, from soap and biscuits to notebooks for the school kids. The shelves are pretty crowded because I try to squeeze in whatever people ask for. Sometimes I can’t find things right away, but I usually know which pile it’s in. It’s a small space, and when three or four people are inside at once, it feels full. I open up early in the morning before most people are even awake. The neighborhood has changed a lot over the years, but the store stays mostly the same. I don't use any fancy computer systems; I still write things down in a ledger most of the time. My kids help out on the weekends when they aren't busy. We have a cat that hangs around the front door, though I try to keep her out of the way. It’s not the most modern shop you’ll see, but we have the basics that everyone needs. If the light bulb burns out, I just climb a stool and fix it myself. People come here to chat as much as they do to buy things. It’s just a quiet life in Vijaya Nagar, and I’m happy to keep the doors open for as long as I can. It’s my way of being part of things.